Family values

Singaporean government promoting family values. Interesting how the government is reaching out and promoting moral issues. I like this.



(thanks, Susan)

Nankunshen Daitianfu Temple 南鯤鯓代天府

I love the color of the wall in the last picture. They say the paint was made from coral from the Penghu islands. I think I'd love to do a painting and print with this color.

The rest of the pictures are here: here.

Pity when we went, there were hardly any people. Out of the (few) temples I've been to, I still like Bao An Temple in Taipei and Longshan Temple in Lugang the best.


Scripts:
南鯤鯓代天府 宗教之旅

台灣廟宇多，大家都知道，尤其集中在台南、嘉義、雲林的廟宇？
這邊有許多數百年歷史古蹟廟宇，每一間廟都有它有趣的典故。今天我們就要帶您到國定古蹟[王爺開山廟、南鯤鯓代天府]，一起來聽聽五府千歲如何來到台灣的故事。
##

台灣分靈超過7千座廟宇的國定古蹟南鯤鯓代天府，就是這兒。
不論柱子、屋簷、牌匾，都有著精緻的雕工、與鮮豔的彩漆。

[[民視記者 翁郁容: 南鯤鯓代天府的三川殿是在19世紀建的，可是裡面的五府千歲是在1662年，347年前雕刻的。]]

來到南鯤鯓代天府，大家拜的就是五府千歲。

[[南鯤鯓代天府管理委員會 總幹事 侯賢遜: 這個廟是因為福建放王船 沖流到這個地方 (船)裡面有五王的記號 還有一塊杉木 雕刻著五王的神像 (每年)來這邊拜拜和觀光的民眾有將近600萬人次]]

像這位女士，就是大老遠從台北來到這求保佑。

[[信眾 求平安啊 台北也這麼多的廟 有人建議我們來這邊拜 真的適合 我覺得有差]]

[[民視記者 翁郁容: 來南鯤鯓進香其實很方便
這邊除了提供午餐還有住宿 現在就帶您來看看]]

沒錯，來到南鯤鯓，不用煩惱找旅館。
這邊有通鋪、有套房，總共可以提供1500人住宿。

其實除了拜拜求賜福，信眾來到這，也可以順便觀光遊覽。正因特色廟宇眾多，雲林、嘉義、台南地區近年也逐漸形成了宗教觀光聖地。

[[雲嘉南風景管理處 技正 蔡宜育 濱海地區對王爺的信仰非常誠心 所以每逢王爺誕晨 或
者媽祖的誕晨 在我們雲嘉南濱海 都有很多的節慶活動]]

每座廟宇都有它的典故，裡面的神明更是各有各的傳奇故事。姑且不論您的信仰是什麼，有空來趟雲嘉南宗教之旅，您會對台灣的傳統民俗美學，有更深刻的體會

民視新聞 翁郁容 葉尚松 台南報導


Temple Travels

Tainan is perhaps best known as the historical, first capital of Taiwan, but its temples and other temples in the Yunlin and Chiayi areas are also major destinations for travelers who especially appreciate culture. This week, Michella Jade Weng visited Nankunshen Daitian (南鯤鯓代天) Temple for a closer look at where the more than 7,000 branch temples of the “five kings” (五府千歲) in Taiwan all started.##

Characteristic of Taoist temples, Nankunshen Daitian Temple in Tainan County is covered in brightly colored paint, mostly red and gold, with sculptures of mystical beasts and gods atop every roof, beneath every eave.

Michella Jade Weng
Nankunshen Temple was built in the 19th century, but the sculptures of the five gods inside, the five kings, were carved by fishermen in the 1600's.

These five gods are known as “wufuqiansui 五府千歲,” or the “Plague Gods” and were said to be sent by the heavens to keep an eye on and to protect the people in this world.

Hou Siansyun
Temple official
A burned Plague God boat from Fujian made its way here, and in the boat were statues of the gods made of balsa wood. And that's how this temple was started. More than 6 million worshipers come every year.

This woman has come all the way from Taipei to pray to the five gods.

Worshipper
We’re praying for peace and good health.

Worshippers like these have helped Tainan, Chiayi and Yunlin develop into an area of religious tourism.

Tsai, Yi-yu
Tourism Bureau official
People in this area are devout believers in the five gods, so every year around the birthday of the five gods or Mazu, many festivals and activities take place.

Each temple has its own resident deity and its own story, and with the infinite numbers of gods in Taoism, you’re likely to never hear the same story twice.

Michella Jade Weng, Formosa TV, Tainan.

MJW watches

It already has my initials on it. Oo la la!

But my favorite's still the white ceramic one from Uncle Tad.

(via If it's hip it's here)

Traveling Hualien and Taitung 花東旅遊

The rest of the pictures are here.

The Tourism Bureau took a group of reporters to Hualien (花蓮) and Taitung (台東) last month, and we went too. With places like Taroko (太魯閣) already too well known, they decided to bring us to the more off-the-beaten-path places like Mukumugi (慕谷慕魚), Liyutan (鯉魚潭), the Yuli (玉里) bike trail and some compound where the restaurant was in the shape of a giant Mongolian tent (of course, serving Mongolian-ish food) and the attraction there was a petting zoo.

The cycling was great, which was an old train line, preserved after a new one was made. They saved one of the tracks and tore out the other and replaced it with a paved concrete bike path, so riders could ride parallel to the old track, just inches away. The view was fantastic, especially this time of year – rice stalks were green as could be, and the sky was a baby blue, with a gradation fading into white where it met the mountains in the distance. Throw in a red arched bridge, and it was picture perfect for miles and miles. That was my impression of the 15-minute “sample ride.” Riding around Liyutan seemed quite nice too (we didn’t get to ride this one).

The rest of the trip was not so memorable. At a big outdoors compound in Taitung, they had a giant Mongolian tent, with Mongolian performers at some point in the past. Inside the compound, they had a miniature zoo with zebras and hippopotamuses that you could feed carrots to. I admit, feeding them was fun, but I’m not sure if it’s right… I was hoping for attractions that were in some way related to its area, like rice, fruit, indigenous culture, etc. Instead, I was feeding a slimy hippo and dusty, smelly zebras. Obviously they put a lot of money and effort into building the place and running it, but the theme(s) were so detached from each other and Taitung itself. In a place like where we were at, I can imagine simple, but clear displays of how rice is grown, harvested, scientifically studied/improved and its applications. Perhaps there could also be an interactive area where visitors could try to plant rice stalks, shuck them, cook them into various foods, like pounding them into sticky rice cake or making “pop rice” or distill/ferment them for liquor. And for arts & crafts, people can learn to use rice to make things like glue, some kind of accessory, and then take them home in the end. I think things like these would be more meaningful and memorable for visitors when they visit Taitung. I felt as if I had been sent all the way to a beautiful city on the coast in Greece only to find out that I’m to film kung-pao chicken, mu-shu pork and fortune cookies in take-out boxes.

At night, they put us up in a place with hot springs in Taidong. The owners were very proud of their establishment, to the point of being arrogant, I thought. The food was edible. The hot spring, however, was…unsoakable. Each of the guest rooms had access to hot spring water. The water had dark, dirty and scary looking particles floating in it. But that was natural, according to the sign posted by the bathtub. It went something like “do not be alarmed, sediment you may see are natural and are part of our hot springs.” Well, I was alarmed and two minutes in, I was out. Scary scary. They may want to put up a more convincing sign or install a particle filter. I’d prefer the latter. It wasn’t an expensive establishment (the room I was in sleeps four, and it’s TWD2.800/night), and the bedding was clean and the room was decent, but the less than tasty food and the hot springs that I was not so hot about (and shower which was unsightly corroded and malfunctioning), it was just one of those places that I don’t think I’ll ever go to again, unless the conditions change for the better.

Hualien and Taidong are beautiful places, and it’s easy to attract visitors with their picture-perfect views. While there are good places to visit and interesting places to go in those two counties, after a trip like this, as a tourist, I may not want to go again and may not recommend my friends to visit. Some of these places need to really shape up if they want to attract more tourists, especially international ones.

The person who arranged this trip should be re-trained or re-educated or re-assigned. Or I need a slap in the face and told to not be such a stuck up sissy. Either way, this stuck up sissy is never going back to that hot spring hotel/B&B/motel and Mongolian tent/petting zoo.

Good thing it was not my first visit to Huadong, and I still have enough good impressions from previous trips to still remember it fondly and sincerely tell people how it can be a great place to take a holiday.

And the scripts:
您最近規劃到東部去玩嗎？告訴您，
花東地區現在最夯的就是騎鐵馬和生態旅遊。還吸引了不少駐台外交人員特別安排假期到東部慢活一下。他們都說，風景美，當地人又熱情，有人甚至打算，退休後不回國 ，乾脆搬到花東，好好享受那片山光水色。##

[[ns 鐵道]]

看到一片接著一片、綠油油的稻田，背景襯著海洋。這，就是許多人對花東的第一眼印象！

[[音樂8秒]]

有人說來到花東，坐車太快，走路又太慢，騎腳踏車剛剛好。
所以，這裡的腳踏車步道特別多。

民視記者 翁郁容:
這裡的腳踏車步道很特別喔
它是舊鐵路改造的

腳踏車租賃業者 鄧緯承:
(這條鐵路)就是截彎取直
(玉里)一直到東里
所以這一段我們
在積極的爭取之下
把它保存下來
我們就是在中央山脈
和海岸山脈兩邊之間
美麗的山谷風景
而且就在秀姑巒溪上騎腳踏車
就有那種很消遙樂活的感覺

沒帶鐵馬來？也別擔心，用租的"碼ㄟ通"。就連沿路的派出所，也變身成鐵馬補給站，裝水、打氣、維修通通有"警察盃盃"幫你搞定喔~

東里派出所長 葉進德:
我們有提供打氣
還有補胎的一些工具
民眾所需要的 我們可以服務的
我們就服務啦
曾經還有日本人
專程跑來看我們的鐵樹

沒錯！到東里派出所，還有這棵百年鐵樹也是景點。
從宜蘭到台東，超過兩百公里的單車路線，可以讓您好好騎個過癮。

民眾;
小朋友剛好也是
騎腳踏車的年紀
我們家父母親也都是
騎腳踏車當運動
因為年紀大了 不能走太久
太劇烈的活動也不能做
腳踏車剛剛好

[[ns 海]]

而且，不光騎車，來花東當然還要玩玩水，看看海。
如果您怕海邊太曬，阿美族的馬太鞍生態溼地，絕對會讓您有意外的驚喜。

民視記者 翁郁容:
馬太鞍最有名的就是這一個
巴拉告

解說員 拉藍吾那克:
這是一種食物練的捕魚方式
我們在河裡幫魚
蓋三層樓的房子
有穿衣服(鱗片)的魚在上面
吃飽飽就有排泄物掉到第二層
第二層的蝦子不吃大便
所以久了就會長藻類
也剛好是蝦子的食物
蝦子被保護住又有食物吃
所以繁殖得很快
一下子都是蝦子
蝦子很多 魚群就過來

看完海岸、走完溼地，我們還可以繼續往山裡探索。
走！我們到太魯閣族的"慕谷慕魚"！
清水溪，像它的名字，永遠都很清澈。而且當地人說，溪裡的大理石，就是溪水清澈的秘密！

解說員 許賜輝:
大理石本來就是石灰岩塵
石灰岩塵本來就可以
清理水質的雜物

漂亮的山光水色，悠閒的步調，您相信嗎?連駐台外交人士也愛上了。

丹麥辦事處處長 F. Aggergaard:
兩年前我沿著海騎我的腳踏車
往右邊看有太平洋
往左邊看有壯麗的山和稻田
很特別

台灣旅遊教父 嚴長壽:
好多(外交官)剛才在討論都說
如果這邊有個好的居住環境
他們都準備在這邊退休
而且有幾位已經斬釘截鐵的說
他一定選擇在這邊退休

台灣東部，號稱擁有寶島最瑰麗的大自然風光。
有機會建議您也來這邊慢慢走，慢慢看，暫時揮別繁忙的工作，享受慢活時光。

民視新聞 翁郁容 葉尚松 台東報導





Eastern Promise
[Slower pace of life attracts visitors to eastern Taiwan]

您最近規劃到東部去玩嗎？告訴您，花東地區現在最夯的就是騎鐵馬和生態旅遊。還吸引了不少駐台外交人員特別安排假期到東部慢活一下。他們都說，風景美，當地人又熱情，有人甚至打算，退休後不回國 ，乾脆搬到花東，好好享受那片山光水色。
More and more people are tuning into the slower pace of life on offer in Taiwan’s eastern regions. And nothing represents a more relaxed lifestyle than traveling by bicycle. And the charms of Taiwan’s east coast have not gone unnoticed by members of the foreign diplomatic community in Taiwan, some of whom even cited Hualien and Taitung as an ideal spot to retire.
##

[[ns 鐵道]]

看到一片接著一片、綠油油的稻田，背景襯著海洋，就知道來到花東了！
來到這兒，坐車太快，走路太慢，騎腳踏車最剛好。
An expanse of verdant green rice paddies in front of the aquamarine ocean proclaims you have arrived on Taiwan’s east coast. Here, traveling by car is too fast, by foot too slow. But traveling by bicycle is just right.

民視記者 翁郁容
今天我們來到玉里的腳踏車步道 它曾經是個舊鐵道
Michella Jade Weng
Today we've come to a bike trail in Yuli. It's part of an old railroad.

租賃業者 鄧緯承
(這條鐵路)就是截彎取直(玉里)一直到東里
所以這一段我們在積極的爭取之下 把它保存下來
Local bike tour operator
After the new railroad was constructed, we asked to keep the old one to make a bike path.

沒帶鐵馬來？別擔心，可以用租的，而且東部有將近90個休息、維修站。
騎車太晒或太累，還可以玩玩水，看看海。
還有，您也可以到生態保育地走一走，像是阿美族的馬太鞍，還有太魯閣族的慕谷慕魚。
Didn’t bring your bike? Well there’s no need to worry. They are readily available for rent here and there are almost 90 rest and maintenance stations specially devoted to cyclists throughout the eastern part of the country. And if you over do it, you can always stop for a quick dip in the sea. And there are always ecological conservation areas, such as the indigenous Amis people’s Mataian Wetlands and the Truku people’s Mukumugi reserve.

漂亮的山光水色，悠閒的步調，連駐台外交人士也愛上了。
Amid the spectacular scenery, life meanders at a slower pace out here. And that relaxed lifestyle has attracted foreign diplomats.

Flemming Aggergaard
Director of Danish Trade Commission
丹麥辦事處處長 F. Aggergaard
往右邊看有太平洋 往左邊看有壯麗的山和稻田 很特別

台灣旅遊教父 嚴長壽
好多(外交官)剛才在討論都說 如果這邊有個好的居住環境
他們都準備在這邊退休
Stanley Yen
Hotelier
Many of them were saying that if there is a good place to live around here, they're ready to retire here.

台灣東部，號稱擁有寶島最瑰麗的大自然風光。有機會建議您也來這邊慢慢走，慢慢看，暫時揮別繁忙的工作，享受慢活時光。
The east regions of Taiwan are known as the home of the most stunning landscapes on the island. If you get the chance to travel there, you too can wave goodbye to the hectic pace of city life.

Michella Jade Weng, Formosa TV, Taitung.
民視新聞 翁郁容 葉尚松 台東報導

A la Maison 轉角廚房

A cozy and very inexpensive little place that one of my favorite old coworkers, Irene 芷瑋 opened near Shi-da (師大). We did a story on them on my last night shift. We filmed it when a bunch of us (minus me working) got together to catch up and to celebrate the opening. They offer a set menu, with the most expensive at TWD350. For TWD350, I think it's a great deal. They're always packed, so making a reservation is probably the only way to go.











It was like a small reunion, now that I think about it. Half the people in this picture used to be in 生活組, which is the team that covers health, education, transportation, entertainment, arts/culture, weather, agriculture and religion. I'm the only person left from that original team of nine. Everyone else has either quit or been transferred to another team. When I first joined the team 3,5 years ago, I could barely read and write Chinese. I spoke slowly and didn't have a thick accent, so most people didn't know that. These guys were the only people people who really knew about me, and were willing to help. Zhenjie, Irene and Xiaoru patiently taught me Mandarin in addition to how to report the news, and Lanchi taught me Minnan. "Patiently" is the operative word, because reporters are usually anything but patient, mostly because of the workload and stress. Well, one person here used to publicly ridicule me at first and was my absolute worst nightmare for the longest time. But after about a year, he started to warm up and now treats me with more respect than he treats most other people. So most of these people in the picture have a special place in my memory and my heart.

A la Maison 轉角廚房
+886 2 2369 6188
http://wretch.cc/blog/alamaison
師大路92巷46號1樓


檢視較大的地圖

Here's the script:
師大法國餐廳 套餐最貴350元

最近在"夜市新流行"單元裡面，
常為您介紹一些高人氣或特色的路邊攤，不過，台北師大夜
市除了近百家的小吃。最特殊的就是，這裡還有很多異國料理餐廳。今晚就帶您到一家法國
菜餐廳，不但號稱平價奢華，而且還有一位法國調酒師駐店服務，到了深夜，儼然變成
lounge bar。##

民視記者 翁郁容:
一般大家對夜市的印象
就是小吃還有路邊攤
可是在台北市師大夜市這邊
有個特殊的地方
就是連餐廳也有
今天就要帶您到一家
新開的法國餐廳
走 一塊去

飄著異國風味的法國小飯館，裡面幾乎大爆滿。

這裡都是吃套餐 ，從湯開始然後接著，每人一盤沙拉。

[[ns 對 用力 對 哇]]


民眾:
蛋 一開始要用刀子把它弄開
在一般餐廳好像
比較沒有這樣的吃法
然後用麵包沾下去 蠻特別的
很像早餐那種吃法
然後搭配旁邊的沙拉
味道真的很不錯

前菜出完 主菜準備上場

[[ns 廚房煎牛排 轟!]]

主菜有牛、雞、魚排等等，沒有什麼花俏的菜色，而老闆最得意的地方就是醬料。

老闆 Gary:
我們目前提供五種醬汁
可以讓大家選
有綠楜椒醬 藍乳酪起司等等
我們這邊提供的是
法式鄉村料理
價位方面我們是採比較平價的
我們目前最貴的套餐
一份是350元

吃飽飯，來點小酒，如何呢？

[[ns shake shake shake]]

您看，吧台還是法國調酒師親自掌櫃呢~讓餐廳彷彿又成了lounge bar。而調酒呢，想喝冰的，像這杯又藍又紅、又酸又甜的伏特加Violette Candy，也有熱的！像這杯After Eight，裡面加了薄荷、巧克力、牛奶、咖啡，以及威士忌。

誰說夜市只能有路邊攤？師大夜市裡這些異國料理餐廳，隨時都歡迎著您來嘗試呢！

[[ns salut!]]

民視新聞 翁郁容 宮仲毅 台北報導








The other day, I went again with members from the current 生活組, and that was a different, but also very nice experience, also because Solon (our assignment editor) paid for dinner!

More Nonzero

Risotto and rare cheese cake.

The quality of food and service has gone down a little. I hope they pick it back up soon. Still my favorite place, though.

Xmas 2008 pix

I had a gut feeling I'd be stranded here at CWB all day, so I brought my computer, and well well well, I finally had time to sort out pix from Christmas last year. Daniel took most of them, and they're good! Please have a look here. Don't forget to look at the captions!

Hello from the Central Weather Bureau

Been here 12 hours now, keeping an eye on the typhoon. Waiting for Abby to come relieve me.

Ramblings

Just some ramblings before I get ready for bed.

I don't know what I'm high on, maybe it's the chief editor on a week-long holiday, maybe it's traveling for work, maybe it's being happily busy...

Still can't take my mind off the Southern Links trip. There's something about trains that I really love. The train tracks are mesmerizing just by themselves. Walking on them, like you can do w/o getting in trouble in Pingxi, is fun. The sound of the tracks as your train goes over them remind me of heartbeats. The way how a train glides over the tracks in its silky smoothness reminds me of my rowing days too - it reminds me of the slide on the ergs (ergomenter/stinking rowing machine). I hate ergs because they bring nothing but oxygen-depriving and lactose overloading physical torture, but I could sit on an erg (without pulling on the handle and chain of course) for hours, just moving up and down the slide. Also, a train takes you to far and distant and maybe even exciting places, to a destination perhaps worlds apart from where you boarded. Whether slow speed or high speed, I'm realizing that I really do like trains (as long as they don't reek of disinfectant).

I know what I'm going to dream of tonight :)

Good night!

Traveling the Southern Link 南迴線旅遊

Here are the scripts to the Southern Link story that I have no pictures to, because the card broke before I could get the pix into my Kuma-chan (that's マック backwards).

I do recommend you take the slowest train, the 普快, so you can enjoy the scenery more. But be forewarned, there is no air conditioning in those old, old cabins! You can open the windows and pull the shades down, and there are fans installed on the ceiling, but even I was perspiring. (I normally don't sweat much.)

But despite the heat and the lack of fun things to do on this trip, I'd very much like to take that train again. Partly because my pictures were GONE and I want to retake some of them. And party because I want to put my feet up on the seat across from me that I've turned around, feel the wind in my hair, relax and just enjoy the beautiful scenery, kind of like how frames in a movie roll on through. Perhaps next time, I will take the early train. There are two trains each way, one in the morning (around 8h00 or so and one in the afternoon, around 14h00 or so). I wouldn't mind making this trip on my own, either. Somehow loneliness and nostalgic train rides go well together.





Traveling the Southern Link

The Southern Link line that runs from Pingtung to Taitung offers some of the greatest views in Taiwan – the Taiwan Strait, the Central Mountain Range AND the Pacific Ocean, all on a single train ride. In this week’s travel feature, Michella Jade Weng takes us on the Southern Link and stops at Jinlun (金崙), a town along the line known for its hot springs.##

[[ns train tracks]]

The smooth sound of train tracks can be relaxing and the flowing scenery outside the train’s windows soothing. Traveling by train can be a great luxury to the soul as you may find on the Southern Link. Enthusiasts suggest that you take it slow and avoid the fast trains.

Yen Yu-chin
Railway Cultural Society Chairman
Taking slow train, taking things slow and looking at the scenery can calm a person down. It's a great way of traveling.

The Southern Link starts in Fangliao, Pingtung and ends in Taitung City. You start with a beautiful view of the Taiwan Strait, then the train makes its way through the Central Mountain Range in a series of tunnels, whose darkness has a mind settling effect, and finally, you end up on the southeastern side of Taiwan, with a great perspective of the Pacific Ocean.

Traveler
The Souther Link is beautiful. You can see the sea and the mountains.

Michella Jade Weng
There are some nice places to explore along the way, like Jinlun. And that’s where we’re getting off.

Here in Jinlun, besides a beautiful landscape with mountains whose toes reach the sea, you can find people trying to catch fish on the beach, and this time of year, crabs in the river.

And a crab dinner is what we’re having tonight.

[[ns stir-fry]]

After an enjoyable dinner of other local foods like the Paiwan sticky rice and fish sashimi caught just a few hours ago, perhaps you’d like to take a dip in the hot springs to finish off the evening, of course, whilst watching the sun go down over the Pacific Coast.

Michella Jade Weng, Formosa TV, Taitung.






南迴鐵道之旅 慢遊享受山海景

如果問，台灣哪一段鐵路最美？答案可能不是阿里山！由屏東枋寮開到台東市的南迴線，是
許多鐵道迷強力推薦大家絕對要體驗的路線。從南迴，一口氣就可以看到台灣海峽、中央山
脈，還有太平洋。旅遊達人甚至建議，搭慢車，慢慢晃啊晃，才能好好享受南迴之美。
##
[[ns 火車鐵軌]]

聽到熟悉的火車行進聲，彷彿聽到自己雀躍的心跳。
而看著窗外不斷變換的風景，心情也不知不覺就開始放鬆。有時候搭火車，真是種享受！

[[火車聲]]

來到南迴線，因為這裡特別漂亮！
鐵路迷還提醒，想要徹底感受南迴線的美，記得要搭普通快車喔～

[[鐵道文化協會 會長 嚴裕欽: 從事一個慢遊 這樣心可以沉澱下來 看看風景 其實是一個
對自己很好的旅遊方式]]

南迴線從屏東枋寮開始，一直到台東市。一開始看到的是西岸波濤洶湧的台灣海峽、
不久之後進入秀麗的中央山脈。穿過一連串的隧
道之後，來到東岸，映入眼簾的，則是壯闊的太平洋。
短短一個多小時，豐富多變的景緻，讓旅客直呼，有夠"水"！

[[鐵道旅客 杜先生: 南迴線很漂亮 怎麼說呢 有海也有山]]

[[民視記者 翁郁容: 南迴線上其實有很多地方值得探索 今天我們要到金崙去]]

金崙的海邊，經常有居民在捕魚。

[[NS 你們在撈什麼東西呀 (日本禿頭鯊魚]]

到了溪邊，則有人在捕蟹。

[[NS 怎麼抓的 我們用這個餌 炸彈魚做的這個餌 放進去裡面 把它鎖上 然後口朝下 放在
水裡面 用石頭壓 隔天早上再去收]]

現在正是台灣毛蟹季，所以吃毛蟹最應景！

[[ns 炒毛蟹]]

這邊的料理，除了毛蟹，還有剛才在海邊撈的，晶瑩剔透的日本禿頭鯊魚苗，和排灣族的肉
粽"阿拜"。

吃飽了，玩累了，可以泡溫泉，這邊有溫泉魚幫你"親親"腳，或者您也可以去泡溫泉。更棒
的是，邊泡湯還能邊看夕陽，真的好享受。
南迴之旅，等著您來體驗。

民視新聞 翁郁容
葉尚松 台東報導






南迴鐵道之旅 慢遊享受山海景

如果問，台灣哪一段鐵路最美？答案可能不是阿里山！由屏東枋寮開到台東市的南迴線，是
許多鐵道迷強力推薦大家絕對要體驗的路線。從南迴，一口氣就可以看到台灣海峽、中央山
脈，還有太平洋。旅遊達人甚至建議，搭慢車，慢慢晃啊晃，才能好好享受南迴之美。
##

[[ns 火車鐵軌]]

聽到熟悉的火車行進聲， 看著窗外不斷變換的風景，心情不知不覺就開始放鬆。
鐵路迷建議，想要徹底感受南迴線的美，記得要搭普通快車喔～

[[鐵道文化協會 會長 嚴裕欽: 慢慢座著火車 從事一個慢遊 讓心可以沉澱下來 看看風景
其實是一個對自己很好的旅遊方式]]

南迴線從屏東枋寮開始，一直到台東市。
一開始看到的是波濤洶湧的台灣海峽、然後就是秀麗的中央山脈，最後是壯闊的太平洋，讓
旅客直呼，有夠"水"！

[[鐵道旅客 杜先生: 南迴線很漂亮 怎麼說呢 有海也有山]]
[[民視記者 翁郁容: 南迴線上其實有很多地方值得探索 今天我們要到金崙去]]

金崙的海邊，看得到漁民在捕魚，而在溪邊，還有人在捕蟹。現在正是吃台灣毛蟹季節，來
吃頓鮮美的毛蟹餐吧！

[[ns 炒毛蟹]]

這邊的料理，除了毛蟹，還有剛才在海邊撈的，晶瑩剔透的日本禿頭鯊魚苗，還有排灣族的
肉粽"阿拜"。

吃飽了，玩累了，還可以邊看夕陽邊泡湯，好好享受。南迴之旅，就等著您來體驗。

民視新聞 翁郁容 葉尚松 台東報導

東太陽溫泉會館 089 772 128 台東縣太麻里鄉金崙村溫泉路1-6號
鐵道文化協會 02 2805 1971 www.railway.org.tw

Design: node power outlet

This is cool. Wonder if it's safe. I'd love one of these.

(via Gizmodo)

Playing for Change

Here's how it started:



You can find more "episodes" at the Playing for Change website. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do. Great music, great cause.

Thanks, Michel!

Rafting on Siouguluan River 秀姑巒溪泛舟

More pictures in a cool little gallery here.

Rafting itineraries are usually like this:
- get into Ruisui 瑞穗 afternoon or evening
- go rafting first thing in the morning
- lunch midway
- finish around 14h00
- shower up, go for a nice bike ride in the beautiful countryside, perhaps visit some farms
- go home

I suggest you go after heavy rains or a typhoon - that's when there's more water and makes the ride more exciting. When it hasn't rained for a while, all the sediments sink to the bottom of the river, and the water is blue and green and just beautiful, except you get stuck on the rocks. So if you can pick a time to go, go after it rains. If you go and the water is really shallow and slow, take the motor boat course instead. It's a totally different experience hearing the stories of how the mountains were formed and getting to go on shore to walk around, look at stones, sit on top of boulders and take your time to snap pictures. Just on the boat ride alone, I fell asleep because it was just so comfortable, feeling both the sun and wind on my (now very tanned) face. And if you get stuck on the rocks, your guide will get the boat off them - don't worry.

Right now, I believe one of the current packages they have now is a group of four can get a package that includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, board, rafting/motor boat touring and bicycle rental. The price is a little under TWD1.500.

How to get there: you can drive to Ruisui in Hualien, or take the train to Ruisui or fly to Hualien. Rafting operators have shuttles - you just need to let them know when you arrive and how many there are in your party.

Two operators that I know:
向上: ask for 阿樂 - he's the owner and a friend of our Hualien correspondent. He worked with us on our rafting story last year.
+886 932 581 495
東海: the operator that we worked with this year for our story. +886 3 8876338

Try to make reservations.

And the scripts:

Siouguluan River Rafting and Touring

To most people, Hualien's Siouguluan River is best known for its rafting adventure, but fewer people know that you can also take a guided tour on a motor boat down 24 kilometers of the river. While most people speed through while rafting and never get to see how beautifully the river cuts and bends through the mountains others have found a more relaxing way to view the mountain scenery.##

[[ns]]
Rafting on the Siouguluan River is always full of excitement. And asides from maneuvering the rapids, there's also boat flipping,
[[ns]]
and of course, water fights!
[[ns 音樂+畫面]]

Rafter
I'm having a lot of fun. What a rush it is. There are rapids and you can throw water at each other.

Rafter
I'm really here for the water fight.

Midway, you get to have a nice lunch break, and the standard fare is a boxed lunch, but there's also something better - local Hakka cuisine.

[[ns]]
A third of the population in these parts is Hakka, and the cuisine includes dishes like bitter melon with salted duck egg and pig stomach with pineapple. The price is NT$150 to NT$200 per person, and you get at least five dishes and a soup, which isn't bad at all.

Michella Jade Weng
What a meal! Now let's get back to the river.

Asides from rafting and zooming through 24 kilometers of the river, barely catching a glimpse of the beauty that's here, you can take a guided tour in a motor boat, like we did today.

Ciou Hong-guang
Guide
During the rainy season or when a typhoon hits, large amounts of sand and dirt are brought down along with the water. So some of the bends become straight and some of the straight parts of the river become new bends. It keeps changing.

You can even stop and go on shore. With a little bit of digging around, you can find some pretty nice-looking rocks too. Or if you're not so interested in learning about how the mountains and the rivers were formed here, it's also nice to just sit back, relax and enjoy the warm sun and cool breeze on your skin as you drift slowly down the Siougulan River.

Michella Jade Weng, Formosa TV, Hualien


暑假快到了，最近秀姑巒溪泛舟的遊客也變多了。不過秀姑巒溪除了可以泛舟，其實還可以深度旅遊。解說員會開著快艇帶您認識那些不斷的在改變的山水景色，也非常適合全家大小。而且現在透過觀光局的補助，泛舟或搭快艇，包三餐和住宿，1人1千5有找。##

[[ns]]
秀姑巒溪泛舟，衝激流，
[[ns]]
鬧翻船，
[[ns]]
打水仗，讓人覺得"24公里，23個激流，怎麼那麼快就玩完了呢?"
[[快節奏音樂配畫面 抽格也OK]]
[[sb 很開心 很high 有激流 然後可以玩水 可以打水仗]]
[[sb 妳是來划船還是來打水仗的? 打水仗 哈哈哈]]
划到一段落，上岸休息吃飯囉！
[[ns 大家都來這邊領便當喔]]
划了一早上，大家便當簡直用吞的，是餓壞了還是真的那麼好吃？來看看便當裡有什麼料！

[[豆乾 香腸 滷蛋 這是叉燒肉吧 梅干菜]]
嗯，看起來不錯，不過...
[[stand-up 我們今天不要吃便當好了 帶大家去吃豐富一點的午餐]]
[[ns 炒菜]]

哇~好豐富!這是當地的客家快炒，鹹蛋炒苦瓜、鳳梨肚片、梅乾扣肉等等看起來真美味。其實瑞穗1/3的人口是客家人，因此客家菜特別多，也不貴。這六人以上的套餐就有七菜一湯，一個人平均150元到200元，很划算，老闆說甚至四人套餐也賣，五菜一湯，同樣150元到200元。

[[stand-up 喔 吃得好飽 回到溪邊去吧]]

其實來到秀姑巒溪，不一定要泛舟，搭快艇來個知性的深度之旅也不錯呢。
尤其沒下雨，水不多的時候，泛舟容易卡住，不太刺激。但坐快艇，不只可以看到清澈的溪
水，還可以慢慢享受秀姑巒溪不斷的在蛻變的美景。

[[sb 每當雨季或颱風來的時候 都會夾帶著大量的沙土和水量 所以每次會把這些彎道 有的
會截彎取直 有的又會有新的彎道 所以不斷在改變]]

您可以上岸撿撿漂亮的石頭，像這些年糕玉、總統石、還有紫玉都是在溪畔撿到的。

[[(慢慢玩)不但可以沿途看風景 還可以做自己想做的事情 聽聽原住民的故事 最重要的 還可以撿到這些石頭 石頭看起來不怎麼樣 可是把表皮打開 裡面是非常漂亮 非常有價值的玉石類 這個叫做雪花玉]]

不下船，光坐在快艇上，晒晒太陽，吹吹風，也好享受，說不定您還會坐到睡著呢。
放慢腳步來體驗秀姑巒溪，也有另一種特殊的感受。

民視新聞 翁郁容 黃信儒 花蓮報導

TED: Aimee Mullins

Inspirational. Here are two videos of her, one from 1998, when she was still a university student, and one from this year, 11 years later.

Discovering Matsu 發現馬祖

All the pictures from our Matsu trip can be found here. They were taken with Michael's Canon 450D (thank you, Michael!) I'm quite pleased with the pictures I took on this trip. This was one of the most interesting places I've visited so far. It was still Taiwan, but felt foreign. The first thing I noticed when we got off the plane was that people spoke a different language. Well, a different dialect - Fujian dialect.

Here are my scripts, the long, short and English versions. And please do visit the pictures site - I have written captions, and they should be more interesting than just reading these words :)

Oh, I heard you can see the travel features on the internet now. I'll find out from the person in charge of putting them up where that travel section is. I haven't been able to find it myself. Also, I got a call from Shen Shen, my first boss at FTV, saying how much she loved the long version and how much my Chinese had improved. Wow, I'm encouraged!


Discovering Matsu

Matsu, named after the goddess “Mazu,” is a group of islands part of Taiwan, but actually only ten nautical miles from Fujian, China. While most people know Matsu as a military stronghold, it actually has a lot to offer for tourists. Michella Jade Weng takes us to Matsu in this week’s travel feature and goes bird watching, clam digging and fishing.##

[[ns waves on the beach]]

Just about anywhere from Matsu, you can see the coast and hear the ocean’s waves. Strategically located between Taiwan and China, you can also feel a strong military presence – tanks, lookouts and tunnels are everywhere. This is the Beihai Tunnel.

Michella Jade Weng
The impression most people have of Matsu is military related. We’re going to show you a different Matsu today, a more "natural" Matsu. Right now we're in Nangan. Let’s take a ferry and go to Dongju.

[[ns ferry ride on the ocean]]

Here on Dongju, you’ll find lots of lilies that are indigenous to Matsu, and also see people on the beaches digging for clams, which are a big part of their diet. Life on the island is slow, and swallow gulls like it here. Right now some are foraging on the beach, some are playing in the water. Unfortunately, this is as close as we can get to them, so let’s move on and go fishing.

[[ns fishing boat on the ocean]]

It’s now the season for mackerel, and all you really have to do is throw your fishing line out, and they’ll come find you!

[[ns]]

All this fun will work up an appetite, and speaking of food, their specialties here are no surprise – seafood.

[[ns wok]]

You can find stir-fried clams with oyster sauce and fish paste noodles at nearly any restaurant, and they’re really worth a try. This is how you say “delicious” in the local dialect:

[[ns haolei]]

That’s right, they even speak a different dialect here.

Tsao Erh-Chang
Matsu Legislator
You speak Min Nan or Taiwanese in Taiwan, but we speak Fuzhou dialect. Our architecture is like that in the Fuzhou region. Even what we're used to eating is very similar to what people in Fuzhou eat.

Even the buildings are of a distinctly different style here. From its culture to nature, Matsu’s a great place to discover.

Michella Jade Weng, Formosa TV, Matsu.



發現馬祖 戰地.生態.福建文化

您有去過馬祖嗎？是不是對馬祖印象停留在戰地風光呢？
其實馬祖也很適合生態旅行，今天
就帶您到莒光賞馬祖百合、看燕鷗、釣花飛、挖花蛤。##

[[NS 海浪聲]]

馬祖幾乎什麼地方都聽得到海聲、看得見海浪、感覺得到戰地氣氛。島上有不少軍人、火炮
，還有祕密通道。那邊是大漢據點，而這邊就是北海坑道，都已經開放給民眾參觀。北海坑
道總共700公尺長，能夠容納上百艘艦艇；是阿兵哥在民國57年開始，24小時、820天不停的
挖而開墾的。

[[民視記者 翁郁容 一般人對馬祖的印象停留在軍事，所以今天我們要帶大家來認識另外一個馬祖，生態的馬祖。現在我們在南竿，我們搭船到東莒去。]]

[[NS 坐船]]
在台灣，大家最常用的大眾疏運工具是公車，在馬祖則是渡輪。到了東莒，一下船、踏上碼
頭，馬上就陶醉在悠哉島嶼的生活步調。 這裡的馬祖百合和花蛤都很有名，不過今天要特
別帶大家來認識的是燕鷗。看到了嗎？牠們正在海灘上覓食，還有玩水！

[[民視記者 翁郁容 我們現在想帶大家看燕鷗，可是牠們真的太難接近了，尚松剛才還特別交代我說要寫一群一群，不要寫一隻一隻，因為我們鏡頭現在最大的size也只有一群一群，所以我
們乾脆去釣魚吧。]]

[[ns 漁船]]

沿途也看得到燕鷗， 邊賞鳥， 邊吹海風，一下就到了魚群的地方。

[[ns 你們在釣什麼魚？花飛 花飛]]

哇！那船每個人都滿竿子花飛，不到一個下午，就兩桶滿滿的魚。看起來幾乎釣魚線放到水
裡面就馬上有魚上鉤，真的有那麼簡單嗎？我們也來試試看！

[[ns 很重喔 很重喔! 滿竿啊!]]

其實花飛就是鯖魚，很好吃。而且自己釣，好新鮮。釣完魚，肚子也餓了。來嚐嚐當地料理
吧。

[[ns 炒菜]]

這是炒花蛤，

[[ns 炒麵]]

這是魚漿麵，海鮮都是馬祖的著名小吃。老闆娘還特別準備了炸海葵、紅糟肉，強調大家來
到馬祖，這幾道菜一定要吃吃看。

[[NS 好吃怎麼講？ "好列"]]
沒錯，馬祖還有自己的方言。

[[馬祖立委 曹爾忠 台灣都講著閩南話，或台語，但是我們是講福州話。我們的建築都是像福州地區，我們的飲食習慣什麼都跟福州非常相近]]

就連建築也很不一樣，福正聚落的二坡水屋脊和亂石堆砌的閩東式房子，在台灣沒看過吧？


福正散步結束，接著我們到襯在這個明信片般風景後面的東莒燈塔。黃昏的時候，燈塔本身
還有風景都格外的漂亮。

幾乎每個轉角，馬祖都充滿了驚喜，下個假期，不妨自己來重新發現馬祖。

民視新聞 翁郁容 葉尚松 馬祖報導






馬祖生態旅 賞花.賞鳥.挖花蛤

您有去過馬祖嗎？是不是對馬祖印象停留在戰地風光呢？其實馬祖也很適合生態旅行，今天
就帶您到莒光賞馬祖百合、看燕鷗、釣花飛、挖花蛤。##

[[NS 海浪聲]]

馬祖幾乎什麼地方都聽得到海聲、看得見海浪，更感覺得到戰地氣氛。島上有不少軍人、火
炮，還有祕密通道。這裡就是阿兵哥挖出的北海坑道。
[[STAND-UP 一般人對馬祖的印象停留在軍事，所以今天我們要帶大家來認識另外一個馬祖
，生態的馬祖。現在我們在南竿，我們搭船到東莒去。]]

[[NS 坐船]]

到了東莒，一下船就感到悠哉島嶼的生活。這裡的馬祖百合和花蛤都很有名，但今天要特別
帶大家認識的是燕鷗。看到了嗎?牠們正在海灘上覓食，還有玩水！

接著我們釣魚去!
哇！那船每個人都滿竿子花飛，也就是所謂的鯖魚。我們也來試試看！

[[ns 很重喔 很重喔! 滿竿啊!]]

釣完魚，肚子也餓了。來嚐嚐當地料理。

[[ns 炒菜]]

這是炒花蛤，

[[ns 炒麵]]

這是魚漿麵，這些海鮮都是馬祖的著名小吃。

[[NS 好吃怎麼講？ "好列"]]
沒錯，馬祖還有自己的方言。

[[馬祖立委 曹爾忠 台灣都講著閩南話，或台語，但是我們是講福州話。我們的建築都是像福州地
區，我們的飲食習慣什麼都跟福州非常相近]]

就連建築也很不一樣，從文化到自然生態，馬祖充滿了驚喜。下次假期，不妨來看看，重新
發現馬祖。

民視新聞 翁郁容 葉尚松 馬祖報導

SD card wigged out

I was deleting pix from my camera's SD card via a card reader and my mac, and the card just...wigged out. The card reader doesn't even flash when I put the card in, nor does it register on the computer. The only indication that it's still a card rather than a piece of banana peel is the camera saying:


Don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but the "only" pix I lost were the ones I took today during our filming trip on the Southern Links line. All the other other pix, I had already downloaded to my mac.

Going to try a couple more things after I get home tomorrow, but I'm expecting the worst.

Sigh. Well, at least the practice on picture taking and the things that are now a part of my memory can't be lost.

Still, sigh.

View from Southern Link

Beautiful. You can open the windows on these slowest speed trains and stick your head out and feel the wind blow through your hair. Really loving my job right now.

Sent from a Nokia E66

Southern Link line

This is where it starts and where we're getting on in a few minutes.

Sent from a Nokia E66

Moriarty in HK last week

Went to HK last week to do a story on Moriarty, who came to play in Taipei today. Got to know the band, which is very eclectic. Not my favorite band, but I do have a couple of favorites in their Gee Whiz But this is a Lonesome Town album. Their music reminds me of Joanna Wang's (not the covers, but the songs she writes herself).





The scripts to the stories I wrote (Mandarin + Minnan and English)
Story 1:
最近法國有一個樂團紅遍歐洲，最近在亞洲人氣也開始竄昇。雖然他們是法國的樂團，但曲
風充滿了美國民莫瑞提究竟是一個什麼樣的樂團,來看我們香港的衛星報導。
##
[[NS 宣傳帶]]
穿著有著美國早期1900時代夜總會的風格，音樂像是民謠，又帶點藍調、鄉村和爵士，這些
元素，讓這個樂團給人一種強烈又有理想的叛逆感，也彷彿走入了時空隧道。
[[NS 宣傳帶]]
他們是Moriarty莫瑞提，來自法國。
[[stand-up 為了了解這個好像充滿了衝突的樂團，我們今天來到了香港。他們今天晚上要
在這邊舉行演唱會，您可以看到在我們背後，他們在台上進行最後的彩排。]]

[[NS 彩排]]
來自巴黎的他們，歌曲全都是英文發音,和在法國普遍不太講英文的文化很不一樣喔。
[[SB 樂團是由Thomas吹著他的口琴開始的，在很久以前。你如果用口琴音樂來組一個樂團
，音樂一定會跟傳統美國音樂有關。我們也有玩過藍調、民謠，鄉村音樂。我們想要不斷的
嘗試不同的音樂。]]
[[香港民眾 他們的歌曲很特別。是現代的音樂又有民謠元素，很有新鮮感。]]
風格十分另類,原本是地下獨立樂團的莫瑞提,逐漸蛻變成主流的團體，去年發行的第一張唱
片就賣了七萬多張，從歐洲紅到亞洲，香港和東京展開四場演唱會,一票難求。這種普普風
、帶有沈重氣氛的樂風,也很期待台灣樂迷的反應。
[[NS]]
民視新聞 翁郁容 郭文海 香港報導

Story 2:
唱著美國民謠、藍調風格歌曲的法國樂團[莫瑞提]最近在亞洲竄紅，這樂團其實很多元，
6個團員的血統就包括美、法、瑞士、越南、祕魯等9個民族，簡直像個迷你聯合國。他們正
在世界巡迴演出，不過這個行動迷你聯合國說，讓他們難忘的一場表演卻是在監獄裡舉辦的
。
##
[[ns 宣傳帶演唱]]
6個團員在法國相遇，Moriarty莫瑞提裡幾乎每個人都是混血兒。
[[ns]]
[[stand-up 現在我帶大家到後台認識團員們 走!]]
[[ns 我是Rosemary 我主要是唱歌 我是Stephan我彈double bass. 我是Thomas我吹口琴.
我是Vincent我打鼓]]
光是Stephan就有越南、法國、瑞士、挪威、蘇格蘭、愛爾蘭血統，加上其他團員分別有著
美國、比利時、祕魯血統，6名團員身上總共有著9個文化來源，就像個迷你聯合國。或許就
是因為背景多元，他們的組合能夠擦出不同的火花。
[[NS 音樂]]
這首歌描述著,盼望遠離家鄉的親人趕快回來，也有歌詞隱含批判伊拉克對年輕女孩募兵的
意味，旋律朗朗上口，但歌詞卻發人深省。
莫瑞提最近展開世界巡迴演唱會，讓他們印象最深刻的卻是以前到監獄裡表演的經驗。
[[Vincent 我覺得他們可以感覺到你是不是在亂來.所以我們就很努力的演唱.我覺得我們一
些最好的表演就是在監獄裡面做的.]]
披頭四曾經長期在脫衣舞夜總會駐唱，而莫瑞提表演的場所包括了療養院、郵輪、古堡前、
監獄。這些與眾不同的經驗讓他們的音樂和生命也變得更有趣。
民視新聞 翁郁容 郭文海 香港報導

French band "Moriarty" has recently taken France and the UK by storm and has also tickled the ears of Asian music fans. Although from Paris, their music is of the American folk and bluegrass variety with a jazzy, cabaret-ish twist, AND they sing in English. This ecclectic band is coming to Taipei, and Michella Jade Weng brings you a preview of their show from Hong Kong.##

[[NS]]
By their costumes, you'd think early 1900's. By their tunes, you'd think a bonfire somewhere in the American Midwest. Folkish, bluesy, jazzy, mysterious and rebellious - this is French band "Moriarty." French and English fans bought 70 thousand copies of their debut album last year, and Asian music listeners have become their newest group of followers.

Michella Jade Weng
To get to know this band better, we've come to Hong Kong today, where they'll be performing tonight, and behind us right now, they're on stage going through the last bits of rehearsal.

While the French stereotype is generally anti-American, they've seemed to have found a niche, but how did this all happen?

Stephan Moriarty
Band member
It started with Thomas and his harmonica a long time ago. When you start a band with a harmonica, you just end up with that kind of traditional music. We've played blues, bluegrass and other styles, and we're always hungry to try new things.

Hong Kong concert-goer
It's modern music with folk elements. It's very fresh.

[[NS Jimmy]]

They write all their songs together as a band, and in the stories they depict are anything from awaiting a family member's return, to young and naive women being drafted into the military and sent to war.

[[NS Lily]]

Between the six band members, they are of nine cultural origins, including French, American, Vietnamese, Norwegian and Peruvian. Perhaps its their cultural diversity that helps them keep bringing new ideas and perspectives to the music. Perhaps its their experiences too. They've played in mental institutions, on transatlantic boats and even prisons.

Vincent Moriarty
Band member
I think (the prisoners) know if you're not being authentic, so we try to do our best. I think we did some of our best gigs in prisons.

From the background of the band members to the venues at which they play and the music that they write, one can safely say that they are a very ecclectic band. While their music may not be for everyone, but it makes you think and sure is interesting.

Michella Jade Weng, Formosa TV, Hong Kong

And pictures from HK:








The highlight of the emotionally draining trip: Jack! I think out of all my friends, his upbringing is the closest to mine. And he actually understands my still-no-boyfriend dilemma, because we're in the same boat that's been traveling the seas seemingly all our lives!